TOBACCO ROAD
"Tobacco Road" is a song written and first recorded by John D. Loudermilk in 1960 that was a hit for The Nashville Teens in 1964 and has since become a standard across several musical genres.
Originally framed as a folk song, "Tobacco Road" was a semi-autobiographical tale of growing up in Durham, North Carolina. Released on Columbia Records, it was not a hit for Loudermilk, achieving only minor chart success in Australia. Other artists, however, immediately began recording and performing the song.
The English group The Nashville Teens' rendering was a bold effort featuring prominent piano, electric guitar and bass drum parts and a dual lead vocal: Mickie Most produced it with the same tough-edged-pop feel that he brought to The Animals' hits. "Tobacco Road" was a trans-Atlantic pop hit in 1964, reaching number 6 on the UK singles chart and number 14 on the U.S. singles chart. While the Teens would have some further success in England, in the U.S. "Tobacco Road" became another one-hit wonder of the British Invasion.
Tobacco Road" has been performed by a great number of other artists, often with slightly altered lyrics. Notable renderings include a soul one from Lou Rawls, a folk rock one from Jefferson Airplane on their debut album Takes Off, Mind Garage, a lengthy 17-minute version by Edgar Winter and his band, a sample on dead prez's Psychology, and others from Eric Burdon & War, Spooky Tooth, Status Quo, Bill Wyman and the Rhythm Kings, Steve Young, Love Affair, David Lee Roth, Aum, Tommy Cash, Blues Magoos, Blues Creation, Bobbie Gentry, Rare Earth, Jean-Jacques Goldman, Mud an unreleased version by Jimi Hendrix, Southern Culture on the Skids, Serbian rock bands Smak and Disciplin A Kitschme, and so on. It has been done as blues, country music, punk rock, or garage rock.
01 john d loudermilk
03 billy lee riley
04 brother jack mcduff
05 nashville teens
06 paul revere & the raiders
07 love affair
08 spooky tooth
09 jefferson airplane
10 mind garage
11 blues magoos
12 aum
13 mystic siva
14 edgar winter
15 dan seals
16 jamul
17 junior wells
18 nobili
19 shocking blue
20 status quo
21 love society
22 bill wyman
23 hobo blues band
24 rare earth
